Monday, August 24, 2020

Reflections


I asked a couple of weeks ago for ideas on raising the height of these counter stools and determined it really is not feasible. I've been using them as is and have decided they are great just the way they are. And they are sort of symbolic of my life right now and how far I have come.

I bought the stools years ago at Ballard Designs. I was fortunate to find on eBay Brunschwig & Fils Xian fabric that had been plasticized by an interior designer for a project and had a yard or so left over. Plasticizing is quite expensive to have done and requires a several yard minimum, but it makes the fabric impervious to spills and soil and the cushions last forever. I had them in Alexandria for years and almost did not bring them to Florida because the Sarasota house required four counter stools.

I had this feeling I should hang on to them. So if you recall, I had them safely stored in the Sarasota house and discovered that Sandbagger had purposefully piled on top of them old crates and junk and almost ruined them.

When I showed him how he had crushed and creased the cushions he told me it was completely my fault that he has no respect for my things. I was able to rescue them. If you look very closely, there is slight damage to the cushions, but nobody would notice but me.

So I've decided to leave them just as they are. I have always loved them and they are a great reminder that like the stools, Sandbagger tried to crush and ruin me, and if you look closely I have been damaged by him, but I am happy and safe in my new home away from him.

39 comments:

  1. The bar stools are gorgeous!! They bland with your countertop. Your house is looking so lovely Once your art is hung it will be the icing on the cake. I admire your attitude but I know it is hard at times to have a sense of peace. It will come once SB comes to the conclusion it is time to move on and his antics aren't getting him anywhere. Stay strong that is how you deal with bullies!!

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    1. Thanks. I am looking forward to getting the art hung, but have a few pieces in the pipeline I am waiting on and also trying to plan where everything goes since I am having someone in to hang everything for me.

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  2. I, too, bought a pair of those at Ballard several years ago. Yours are way cuter! Mine had never had the bland beige cloth replaced and became soiled with counter spills. I sold them online for next to nothing! I know they are very heavy, though, and will last for a long, long time.

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    1. Yes, they are so sturdy and comfortable and I love that they swivel.

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  3. They are lovely stools and I never thought they ought to be altered in any way. Just as you are a lovely person and should stay true to who you are.
    ;D

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  4. Well, Brava Madame CC!I think we both see life infused with metaphors (and the poor simile!)that help us make sense and meaning of things.You are not damaged. You are wiser, determined to grow past this mess while gleaning lessons that have been learned and going forward, confident that you have survived a hideous encounter with sheer evil. I, too, love pigs flying or otherwise. My home-grown joke: What did the drunk pig say when he stumbled into a meat packing plant? Lesson loined! New day. New week. New life.

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    1. I love flying pigs, but not flying monkeys. Thanks so much.

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  5. Your chairs and the wisdom of your intuition, "I had this feeling I should hang on to them," well that's when the word 'talisman' came to mind. I had to be sure, so I took a twirl through DictionaryDotCom, sure enough: "an object believed to protect from evil influences, anything thought to have magical or protective powers." You have placed them perfectly because from your pix, they appear to have a view into every room of the house, so their protective powers have you covered no matter where you are in the house. You are still in acute phases of recovery, I know from experience how raw and on edge things are in these early post-escape days. I especially like your attitude of "there are no victims, only volunteers." Thank you for showing us your strengths and vulnerabilities so openly; we're all in this together. Wishing you and the pups continued indulgences as you sort out SB's madness. xo

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    1. Thanks so much and I love the talisman concept. It's perfect.

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  6. ...What Home Before Dark said.....love those stools & am glad they will stay as is. Like you: the picture of resilience!

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  7. The stools are divine! They are perfect in your space. I love the idea of those beautiful stools as talismen watching over you in your beautiful new home. I am so glad you are happy and safe. As you said a few days ago, Girl Power!

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    1. Thank you - I am so enjoying seeing how beautifully my things are working here.

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  8. I remember those stools from your Virginia house. I have always loved them. Glad you were able to rescue them and use them in your new house!

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    1. Yes, lots of wonderful memories connected with those stools and my husband and daughter and so nice to have them here.

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  9. My daughter is in the process of evicting her dead best roommate. It's been a struggle as you can imagine.
    I don't understand why a person wouldn't leave when they know they are no longer welcome.
    Some people just enjoy spreading their misery everywhere.
    Your barstools are gorgeous, btw. Quintessentinal Chinoiserie!

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    1. So sorry what your daughter is going through. It's horrible when your home which should be a safe and happy place turns into a battle zone. My best to her.

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  10. None of us come through life unscathed, but you demonstrate, despite challenges, there is strength and beauty in resilience.
    The house is looking fantastic. Glam and serene!

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    1. Thank you so much. Gloria Gaynor - "I Will Survive."

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  11. “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills." --- Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

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  12. Those are my dream barstools. Adore them. If they're a tad high, who cares, it's not like you're going to be sitting there for a 5 course dinner. The sneak peaks are looking fabulous. Cathy in CT (If only I could figure out a google account!)

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  13. I love this fabric. Your house is so happy and welcoming!

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  14. It all looks fabulous! I collect antiques and love the character that comes from age, survival and the bumps along the way. The pieces that I especially love are those that have been damaged and then repaired with love. Someone loved them and didn't want to lose them. They acquired history and meaning beyond price.Someone who didn't know the background story might only see a pair of elegant barstools. But, to you and to those with whom you've shared your story, they're symbols of overcoming and triumphing. I like what DesignDoctor said about them being talismans watching over you. Your home is beautiful!

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  15. I can't detect any damage to your counter stools.

    After reading your Saturday post, it's not exactly clear to me what happened with SB, but obviously it was something serious enough to call the police. It worries me that you say you've been damaged by him. I hope that's because your history with him is recent, and you will feel like yourself again as this fades into the past. I don't know how long you were with him. I hope that there are neighbors and friends that live close by, and friends that you can confide in, and count on in an emergency. Now is not a good time to be isolated. I hope I am not overstepping boundaries, and being intrusive, Beth. I've been there.

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    1. Thank you. I am not isolated in the least. I talk to all my friends and daughter in NOVA and have made new friends here. I was being metaphorical. The stools have a couple creases that will not come out ever. And as for me, in thirty five years of marriage I never once feared for my safety. I knew my husband was always there to protect me and our daughter. With Sandbagger, the opposite was true. He became what I had to protect myself from. When someone takes away that sense of safety and trust, I am not sure that is not permanent.

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  16. On the themes of repairs and appreciating flaws and scars - This is a really good article. Although wabi-sabi is often considered a Japanese philosophy, it really began in China. The Centuries-Old Art of Repairing Broken Pottery with Gold https://mymodernmet.com/kintsugi-kintsukuroi/ "In addition to serving as an aesthetic principle, Kintsugi has long represented prevalent philosophical ideas. Namely, the practice is related to the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which calls for seeing beauty in the flawed or imperfect. The repair method was also born from the Japanese feeling of mottainai, which expresses regret when something is wasted, as well as mushin, the acceptance of change."

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    1. Kintsugi is a beautiful, honorable practice often making a repaired product more unique and beautiful by not disguising the repair.

      In every case I prefer the repaired item to the original and it makes my heart glad to know that something that could have been discarded has been made more beautiful.

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  17. I LOVE your countertops with those bar chairs...they complement eachother perfectly. Your home is looking quite beautiful, so happy for you!

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  18. I've had this same fabric upholstered on my office chair- I love it! So dramatic- enjoy your blog and have for years. Tamara (of Nest by Tamara blog nestnestnest.blogspot.com) :)

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